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Bilingual children's social preferences hinge on accent.
Jasmine M DeJesus1, Hyesung G Hwang2, Jocelyn B Dautel3
1Department of Psychology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|August 22, 2017
Summary
Bilingual children prefer native-accented English speakers over foreign-accented ones, showing social preferences for familiar accents. This preference for native accents was observed regardless of their own language dominance.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Sociolinguistics
- Language Acquisition
Background:
- Research indicates monolingual and bilingual children often prefer native speakers.
- It remains unclear if children in bilingual environments socially distinguish between familiar languages and accents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate social preferences of bilingual children (5-7 years old) for familiar languages and accents in the U.S.
- To compare preferences based on language versus accent.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: French immersion school children compared English and French speakers, and American- vs. French-accented English.
- Experiment 2: Korean American children compared English and Korean speakers, and American- vs. Korean-accented English.
Main Results:
- Children showed no preference between English and their other native language (French or Korean).
- Children preferred American-accented English over French- or Korean-accented English.
- Accent preference was independent of children's language dominance.
Conclusions:
- Bilingual children exhibit social preferences for native-accented speakers.
- Findings suggest social reasoning may influence language acquisition and social integration.
Keywords:
Accent attitudesBilingualismCognitive developmentLanguageSocial cognitionSocial preferencesMore Related Videos
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